WiFi

Integrated access vendor U4EA acquires NextHop

Thu, 22 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

U4EA Technologies, a vendor of integrated access products, said it has acquired NextHop Technologies, a maker of WiFi access point and controller software, for an undisclosed sum. U4EA operates in the increasingly significant area of multi-service or converged gateway devices, and has been doing a bit of consolidating at the small end of the telecom vendor market over the last several months since landing new funding and naming a new CEO last summer. U4EA, privately-held and based in Fremont, Calif., acquired J6 Technology late last year, and just last month rolled out a multi-service gateway product for small business customers.

For more:
- read this story at The East Bay Business Times

MetroFi looks to sell municipal WiFi networks

Mon, 19 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Another municipal WiFi network operator is on the skids. MetroFi, the municipal wireless specialist founded by former Covad Communications co-founder Chuck Haas, is looking for buyer for the WiFi networks it operates in nine cities. If MetroFi can't find a buyer, it will shut down the networks in 30 to 60 days. MetroFi's announcement follows last week's decision by EarthLink to close shop on its municipal WiFi network in Philadelphia. The timing also is interesting in that interest in municipal wireless networks recently seemed to be increasing again months after business model challenges drove many municipalities to turn their backs on proposals for such networks.

MetroFi's move leaves the door open for network operators such as telcos or cable TV companies to come in and be the knight in shining armor for cities such as San Jose, Calif., and Portland, Ore. Otherwise, the MetroFi towns, like Philadelphia, may be due for a cold dose of reality.

For more:
-read this story at The Wall Street Journal

Related articles:
- Muni WiFi went from sizzle to fizzle last summer. Muni WiFi report
- EarthLink said this month it plans to shut down the Philly net. EarthLink report

ALSO NOTED: Once mighty C-W turns to discounting; TelAlaska looking to WiFi; and much more...

Fri, 16 May 2008 06:59:51 -0400

> TDS ripped by investor for spurning buyout bid, not telling shareholders Article

> Telecom monopoly turned discount king Article

> TelAlaska creating WiFi hotspots with help from local businesses Release

> Telecom magnate not planning to buy Digital Plus Report

> TTI Telecom reports 21% revenue growth in Q1

SEC: Broadcom officials back-dated stock options

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:59:53 -0400

Broadcom, a leading maker of broadband wireline and wireless data networking chips, is the latest firm to be tangled up in a stock option back-dating scandal. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged two current and two former Broadcom executives with back-dating options and then covering up the practice between 1998 and 2003. The two current execs involved, chairman and CTO Henry Samueli and general counsel David Dull, are taking leaves of absence from Broadcom.

Broadcom first admitted in the summer of 2006 that it would need to re-state earnings for several years because of a series of suspect options transactions. The company later took a $2.2 billion charge against earnings.

For more:
- check out this coverage at Light Reading

Related articles:
- Broadcom moves into enterprise WiFi market
- Broadcom: 802.11n won't usurp 802.11g yet Report on 802.11n

AT&T brings U-verse to small business sector

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

AT&T is rolling out a U-verse small business broadband package in 40 markets. The offering will give businesses with up to 32 Internet connections 10 Mbps downstream bandwidth. Those business customers also will gain free, unlimited access to AT&T's 17,000 WiFi hotspots nationwide. AT&T and Verizon both have been upping the ante in the small business market over the past year or so. Verizon also serves the sector's broadband needs, and both companies' wireless units offer mobile voice and data plans appealing to small businesses. One particular difference is AT&T's use of the WiFi offering for its residential and now small business U-verse. Verizon still isn't showing much interest in WiFi, and Verizon Wireless in particular continues to mock WiFi in TV commercials for its mobile business data access offering for laptop PCs.

For more:
- check out this coverage at The Milwaukee Small Business Times

Related articles:
- AT&T added new features to its small business portal earlier this year. AT&T report
- Qwest last month launched new broadband plans affecting small business. Qwest report

EarthLink to darken, dis-assemble Philly net

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:59:54 -0400

EarthLink, the ISP that campaigned to own the municipal WiFi market and later withdrew from it in the span of a single year, is shutting down its once-controversial, much-hyped municipal Wi-Fi network in Philadelphia. In what could be a sad end to the story for the city, EarthLink is looking to remove all of its gear from local facilities after it darkens the network.

EarthLink and Philadelphia had been negotiating for the city to take over the network in some fashion, but apparently had not been able to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, the municipal WiFi business has been bouncing back a bit in other cities where outside network operators have are working with more sensible business models that include local government anchor tenants and tiered-pricing options. Those operators includes telcos. Municipal WiFi consultant and author Craig Settles has said that cable TV companies could make an impact, too. With Cablevision announcing its own WiFi rollout this week, that trend may be off and running.

Still, no network operators have swooped into Philadelphia to play the hero, at least not yet.

For more:
- check out this coverage at PC World

Related articles:
- EarthLink said a few months ago it planned to exit from the muni-WiFi sector. EarthLink report
- EarthLink launches Philadelphia muni-WiFi. EarthLink report

Qwest CTO discusses technology trends

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

Qwest Communications CEO Pieter Poll, in the first installment of a two-part interview with Telephony, discusses the telco's interest in fixed-mobile convergence, wireless broadband and the need for a unified interface to integrated in-home networks. Poll did not offer any revelations, though his positive views on femtocells and Wi-Fi as possible fixed-mobile convergence solutions are intriguing, and his support for open networks and third party application partnerships is right in line with current trends. Poll also discusses Qwest's interest in a unified content interface for multi-device in-home networks, saying the company is working hard to figure this out. Poll's comments follow comments made a few months ago by Qwest CEO Ed Mueller, in which Mueller noted that no one in the industry had so far developed a such a unified interface.

For more:
- check out this interview at Telephony

Related articles:
Qwest also wants to see a faster evolution to 100 Gbps transport Qwest report
Qwest gets ready for the DNC Qwest report

ALSO NOTED: Qwest rate hike finds support; AT&T debuts WiFi at Starbucks; and much more...

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:59:51 -0400

> A Colorado state Senate committee passed a bill that could allow Qwest to raise rates as much as 32 percent. Article

> AT&T launched its first Starbucks WiFi hotspot in San Antonio. Article

SureWest tests free WiFi in home market

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:59:53 -0400

Independent telco SureWest Communications is giving free WiFi a try. The company has launched to WiFi hot-zones on a trial basis at two locations--one a community center and the other an apartment complex--in its native market of Roseville, Calif.

This is a baby step into free WiFi for SureWest, and the company will evaluate public response and usage after six months. But, after telcos showed a highly allergic reaction to public WiFi ventures early on, we are beginning to see AT&T and others take a closer look at how WiFi fits into their broadband plans.

For more:
- read this report at The Sacramento Business Journal

Related article:
- SureWest recently announced a home monitoring service. SureWest report

Windstream offers 2Wire home gateways

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:59:53 -0400

Independent telco Windstream Communications is offering wireless home networking gateways from 2Wire that allow multiple wireless devices in the home to share the incoming broadband connection. Such alternatives to wireline-based broadband distribution inside the home have become increasingly viable as telcos have had to overcome the challenges presented by often very old in-home wiring.

2Wire to date has had success with various home networking solutions, most notably having supported AT&T's Homezone launch. Ruckus Wireless is another vendor that has been pushing wireless home networking.

For more:
- see this story at Xchange

Related article:
- Windstream last year partnered with TiVo

Telcos should re-examine muni-broadband

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

Telcos should re-examine muni-broadband
The New York Times has a story today about the pitfalls of the municipal WiFi market. It doesn't contain much new information for anyone who followed the death spiral of muni-WiFi, and is tracking the current re-fashioning of the muni-WiFi business model into a market opportunity that makes more sense. But, maybe it will help wake up anyone who still thinks muni WiFi is too dangerous a business for them. That includes many telcos.

New concepts for muni-WiFi and muni-broadband highlight the involvement of the municipal governments themselves as anchor tenants on the networks who are eager to explore how new broadband technology can change the way the operate. Having secured an anchor tenant that will provide ongoing revenue, network operators can make good on the original promise of muni-WiFi: To provide free or inexpensive public Internet access.

That doesn't mean WiFi blankets will cover these municipalities, but it does mean that residents in need might be able to go to a public library or community center and find free or affordable access. Creating service and speed tiers for users who want speedier access and value-added applications also can help network operators make more sense of the business for themselves.

Telcos like AT&T and Covad Communications are beginning to buy into new muni-WiFi concepts. Now, it's time for more service providers to take notice. For more read the story at The New York Times. - Dan

Ericsson: Wi-Fi hotspots on the way out

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

Are the mobile vendor giants of the world back to bashing Wi-Fi? At the European Computer Audit, Control and Security Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Johan Bergendahl of Ericsson said the Wi-Fi hotspots of the kind in Starbucks and hotels could become the telephone booths of the broadband era--you know, very out of place, if not completely extinct. However, those comments come not long after AT&T announced a new Wi-Fi deal with Starbucks, and announced that its broadband customers could use its public Wi-Fi hotspots for free. In addition, AT&T has entered the municipal Wi-Fi market, building a network for the City of Riverside, Calif. If AT&T moves are any indication, telcos may be warming up to Wi-Fi strategically after years of only dabbling in it through resale. Meanwhile, the days of expensive public Wi-Fi access may be coming to an end, but mobile broadband roaming, coverage and quality is still lacking.

The most bizarre part of this story is the final sentence, in which Bergendahl suggests some hotels may be blocking mobile radio signal to give themselves more opportunity to reap revenue from lobby and guest room Wi-Fi.

For more:
- see this story at InfoWorld

Related article:
- AT&T announced the Starbucks deal last month

AT&T matches broadband, grande Wi-Fi deal

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:59:55 -0500

If broadband growth is slowing down, then AT&T isn't going to let it do so without a fight. The company is taking over responsibility for managing Wi-Fi coverage at 7,000 Starbucks stores nationwide, and while the mobile sector gossips about AT&T replacing T-Mobile, the real telco news is how AT&T is dressing up its own DSL and U-Verse broadband services.

All 12 million AT&T broadband customers will now get free Wi-Fi access at Starbucks, greatly enhancing AT&T's recent offer to allow its broadband customers to use its Wi-Fi hotspots for free, while also making the residential service more attractive to those who don't currently have it, and by association making its service bundles all the more enticing.

For more:
- check out this coverage in Network World

Related Articles:
- Starbucks ditches T-Mobile Article

Fierce goes live for the Mobile World Congress

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:59:57 -0500

The Mobile World Congress opens Monday in Barcelona and will present the latest technology, services, and developments in mobile voice and broadband, web services, mobile TV and WiFi. Leaders from mobile operators, equipment and software vendors, the Internet and media industries will be discussing and presenting the latest technologies, products and business strategies. The Fierce team will be there covering the Congress live. For previews and the best live coverage of this important event go here.

Intel announces WiMax and WiFi chip

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:59:55 -0500

Microprocessor and communications equipment giant Intel has designed a silicon chip to send and receive multiple wireless signals, including both Wi-Fi and WiMax. According to Information Week Intel researchers outlined the findings in four research papers presented at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco. As the findings were done under lab conditions they are far from being incorporated into mobile devices.

The integrated silicon die supports WiMax and Wi-Fi's a/g/n standards. By integrating a transceiver capable of handling multiple frequencies on a single chip, Intel eliminated a "front-end module" technology that today performs the same function on a separate die, said the Director of Communications Circuits at Intel labs Hossein Alavi. That cuts power consumption in half. Additionally, the researchers integrated an all digital power amplifier, increasing the quality and strength of the signal transmitted and received.

For more:
- Intel Integrates Wireless Support On A Single Chip Article

Related article:
- Intel Makes Faster WiFi Chip Article

Nokia Siemens and Ubiquisys jointly push femtocells

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:59:54 -0500

Nokia Siemens Networks and U.K.'s Ubiquisys are to jointly market a 3G femtocell system to mobile operators worldwide. The system will use Ubiquisys' ZoneGate intelligent femtocell and Nokia Siemens femto gateway open architecture. The alliance to aggressively jointly market femtocell technology is a significant milestone for the controversial technology.

"The femtocell market is moving at an astonishing speed and 2008 will undoubtedly prove to be 'make-up-your-mind' time for many operators. We are currently involved in 10 trials and expect several to expand into larger deployments later this year," said Chris Gilbert, CEO of Ubiquisys. "We decided long ago to concentrate on the device and then partner with leading SI vendors who share our vision on the femtocell industry."

Femtocell uptake has lagged in the U.S. with significant trials under way in Europe and Japan. In Europe, carriers typically have licenses to operate 3G wideband CDMA in certain spectrum, whereas in the U.S. the spectrum is often used for different technologies.

For more:
- Nokia Siemens Networks and Ubiquisys Cooperate on femtocells. Release
- Nokia Siemens, Ubiquisys become femto pals. Article

Related articles:
- Cisco invests in femtocells Article
- T-Mobile trials femtocells Article

Muni Wi-Fi fad fades further

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

Earthlink reportedly, and not so surprisingly, is considering strategic alternatives for its municipal Wi-Fi business. All the rage just a couple years ago, the muni Wi-Fi fad has faded fast this year, and if Earthlink exits, it could be officially over. That should please telcos, some of whom narrowly avoided investing in the concept themselves, and most of whom were generally put off by municipalities' interest in having public Wi-Fi networks that could compete with their own broadband capabilities.

If Earthlink's strategic alternatives include a possible sale of its Wi-Fi business, it's hard to see who would be willing to buy. It seems like Wi-Fi, once a broadband alternative, is now much more of a broadband extension. Providers of broadband services and fixed-mobile converged services are accepting Wi-Fi as a key part of their solutions--not in opposition to them. And, mobile broadband is making the idea of a city-sized Wi-Fi umbrella unnecessary. Mobile users can carry broadband networks in their pockets.

Public Wi-Fi pricing didn't help either. Still, public fee-based Wi-Fi will stick around, as something people can have with their coffee. If the lattes don't empty their wallets, Wi-Fi will.

For more:
- The Associated Press reports

ALSO: Just a quick note on our publishing schedule this week: Our FierceTelecom newsletter will be distributed through Wednesday, but we'll be taking Thursday (Thanksgiving-duh!) and Friday (Black Friday, or National Shopping Day, if you prefer) off. Hopefully, you will be taking a break, too. If not, you can always find us at FierceTelecom.com

- Dan

BT invests in FON, Wi-Fi

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:59:55 -0400

BT is again taking broadband risks. The carrier, which is more than halfway through its 21st Century Network project and was among the first to pursue fixed-mobile convergence (FMC), has invested in FON, a free WiFi service provider based in Spain. BT and FON plan to create a broad free WiFi network that will leverage the wireline broadband connections of BT's residential Total Broadband customers.

Those customers can opt in to a strategy that would allow BT and FON to use a secure channel on their home broadband routers to help expand the free WiFi coverage. Unlike grand revenue-based WiFi models that failed earlier this decade, FON has successfully built free coverage that has begun to win over BT and other carriers. As for BT, it might be able to use the WiFi coverage as a way to expand its bold, but not-wildly-popular Fusion FMC service.

For more:
- See this piece in The Wall Street Journal
- ZDNet U.K. also has more details

Paris eyes muni-EPON

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:59:54 -0400

A French government entity that oversees power and telecom needs for municipalities in and around Paris is mulling the construction of an Ethernet passive optical network to serve the broadband needs of public buildings in the area. Municipal fiber networks are not an entirely new idea, and though star-crossed muni-WiFi projects have gotten all the buzz, muni-fiber is a more appropriate option for fiber-rich markets, France included.

There are several other fiber networks that are either being built or are already operational in France. In the U.S., governments or consortia interested in building similar networks have been met with opposition by carriers.

For more:
- Light Reading has more details on the potential Paris project

ALSO NOTED: SeaChange in middleware competition; EarthLink sticks with muni-WiFi;

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> SeaChange encounters more video middleware foes. Article

> Rolla Huff says EarthLink's struggles won't force its exit from muni-WiFi. Article

> Brazil regulator Anatel leaves Telecom Italia deal off its agenda. Article

And finally... AT&T's U-verse gets kudos from Stratecast. Article